Creating ‘climate-smart territories’ – places where ecosystem services are maintained, human wellbeing is improved and mitigation and adaptation optimized – is the subject of a post on the blog of the Landscapes for People, Food and Nature initiative.

“Effective climate-smart agricultural and agroforestry practices planned jointly and benefiting different stakeholders – including small-scale farmers, ethnic groups, and marginalized rural populations – can improve productivity and the well-being of local people,” says the article. Such practices can increase resilience to climate change and transform landscapes into climate-smart territories.

One project working towards this goal is B-ADAPT (Eco-Agricultural Business for Adaptation to Changes in Climate) which provides market-led solutions such as yield enhancing technologies including bio-fertilizers, improved seeds and the integration nitrogen-fixing plants. It is operating in 2 model forests in Cameron under a joint effort by Cuso International, the African Model Forest Network and VSO Cameroon.

The project promotes diversity of social businesses along key value chains and involves a wide range of stakeholders with differing interests all working towards sustainable natural resources management. Efforts are being made to partner with the private sector through corporate social responsibility programs or by providing organizations with local goods and services for their employees.

Already the project is supporting 234 farm-schools that reach close to 2,000 producers in Southern and Eastern Cameroon. The schools are designed to spread innovations to other farmers, develop mutual agreements to access microfinance, strengthen value chains and gain better access to markets.

Read the full story: B-ADAPT: Adapting to Climate Change with a Landscape Approach